Dawnbreak
by Alpha Prime the Knight
Summary: (Takes place after MTMTE Issue 40) In an attempt to regain the trust of his friends, Brainstorm introduces a new invention to them - however, it has very unexpected end results, and the crew of the Lost Light just got a bit bigger as a result. (Might have mild cursing in later chapters)
1. Chapter 1

Megatron rubbed his optic ridge, already questioning his decision to join the Lost Light for the day - a new record, but what else would one expect when being "co-captain" with Rodimus?

"So, Megsy-"

"Don't call me that, Rodimus."

"- why's my least favorite ex-Decepticon warlord in such a rush?"

"I'm late for my lecture. So if you have another horrendous reward system - _keep it to yourself_. I have actual contributions to this crew I need to make."

"Well you're about to cheer for joy, because your favorite double-agent has something we both need to approve."

Megatron gave him a look that the red mech should know meant 'You're an insolent child' before putting a finger to his comm system. "Class will be delayed on account of Brainstorm. Have your assignments out and take this unexpected extra time to finish them, as I know many of you were hoping for."

He could practically hear the sigh of relief.

Megatron made his way to the lab without waiting for his co-captain clad in flames. "Did Brainstorm tell you what it was?"

"He told me a lot of complicated magic stuff that I'm pretty sure he made up."

And yet another withering look. "Must you be intentionally aggravating?"

"I have no idea what you mean, Megatron."

Another sigh was released before silence descended between the two.

* * *

Brainstorm was impatiently waiting for the co-captains, rubbing his hands together and grinning behind his mask. Once the two had walked into his lab, he spread his hands wide as he spoke, "And welcome to the reveal of quite possibly my greatest invention yet!"

"So it's better than time travel?"

"Way to kill the mood, Roddy. Okay, second best. Point is!" Brainstorm emphatically motioned to a device next to him, eyes beaming, "This is a brand new teleporter!"

After a pause, Rodimus was the one to cave, asking the mad scientist, "So your second greatest invention is something that exists."

"Except, dear co-captain, that there's no teleporter like this - it locks onto multiple targets. So you can deploy multiple groups to different locations - simultaneously! And it works in reverse, by bringing multiple separate groups back to the ship!"

Megatron's optics widened mildly at that. "This... Sounds quite impressive, Brainstorm. How many locations can you lock onto at once?"

"Six!"

"Then let's see it in action!" Rodimus ordered with a wave of his hand and a sly grin.

Brainstorm tinkered with a panel on the side of the device, still grinning behind his mask. "You got it, Rodimus. I'll be locking onto six randomized pieces of space debris in the solar system and bring them aboard."

Megatron folded his arms, waiting.

"Bringing debris aboard... Now!" Brainstorm flicked a switch, creating a flash of light. "Tada!"

Once their optics adjusted, they definitely saw six new objects... But they definitely weren't debris.

"..." Rodimus turned to Brainstorm, "Congratulations, you successfully _kidnapped six stasis pods_."

"That's odd... There weren't any planets near the coordinates I entered. And there definitely aren't any ships that could have jettisoned them."

"That's irrelevant now." Megatron sternly pointed at the scientist. "What matters is that you find out what's in them, and if it's safe to keep them on board."

"Sure thing, boss."

The former Decepticon leader brought a finger to his comm again, "Megatron to medbay, I need a medical expert in Brainstorm's lab pronto - they may be needed." Megatron changed the frequency before speaking again. "Ultra Magnus, I need you in Brainstorm's lab. No, he hasn't gone rogue again, there's just been a... Situation. ... Yes, I realize I just hesitated. ... Magnus, it doesn't mean anything. ... Thank you."

Rodimus groaned, slouching back. "Why'd you call Magnus?"

"Believe it or not, he's part of your chain of command. Therefore he needs to be involved in decisions concerning your ship."

"Oh, like how _I_ was involved in the decision to call the medbay?"

"There might be injured mechs in those stasis pods that require immediate medical attention."

Rodimus shook his head, glaring at his co-captain as he jabbed a finger against his chest. "Or maybe you just want to get every chance to lead out while you still can."

Megatron frowned, "That has nothing to do with this, Rodimus."

"If you two are done - _I am_." Brainstorm leaned on one of the pods as he spoke. "They're completely, 100% safe. No radiation, no traceable diseases -" in a softer tone, almost as though he were only talking to himself, "- and I'm being very thorough -" before returning to normal volume again, "- and a positive readout on spark energies within each one. All that remains to be seen is just who these guys are."

First Aid entered the lab with his medical kit at the same time as Ultra Magnus, speaking in his usual calm demeanor, "You called for a medic?"

Ultra Magnus focused on the stasis pods. "... More stowaways." He turned on Rodimus. "I thought you said Overlord was the only one."

"And he _was_. Honest. Brainstorm just picked these guys up with his new teleporter. Anyways, Magnus, Megatron said you need to be involved in decisions like this -"

"Thank you, Megatron."

"- _so_. Do we open the pods or dump them in space again?"

"Open."

Everyone turned to Megatron.

"Oh yes, haha, look at me like I'm crazy when I voice what you all want."

Rodimus huffed, "Shut up."

"I agree with Megatron." Ultra Magnus glanced to a side. "A phrase I didn't think I would ever even mutter..."

"Well then, looks like it's agreed!" Rodimus clapped his hands together, turning to Brainstorm. "Go on and open the pods."

"Aye aye, captain." Brainstorm offered a mock salute before opening each of the pods.

Cryo gas slowly leaked out, the Cybertronian in each of them slowly stirring from their slumber.

A deep blue and ocean green mech glanced around in a daze as he climbed out. "This... Isn't my ship...?"

Another mech with a primarily blue paint job stretched out his limbs. "Not by a longshot." He scanned the four mechs that didn't arise from stasis pods. "Though I think we were found by other Cybertronians."

"Oh, goodie."

First Aid set down his kit, pulling a light out of it. "I am First Aid, the current chief medical officer for the _Lost Light_. I'm going to ask some questions and conduct some tests, to ensure everything is functioning properly. Okay?"

The second mech to emerge shrugged his shoulders, "Good with us."

"Excellent." First Aid tested the blue and green mech's optics with the flashlight as he spoke, "What's your full name?"

"Storm of Polyhex."

"Spark type?"

"Ferrum Negative."

"Alt Mode?"

"A boat."

"Primary function?"

"Communications and resource transportation in aquatic environments."

The medic stepped back, carefully analyzing his body.

Average height for most Cybertronians, though those shoulder pauldrons stuck out pretty far to the side - probably the front bow of the ship, if he had to guess. Windshield on his chest, and a propeller imbedded into his back, just between the shoulders. Primarily deep blue with touches of ocean green here and there.

No visible damage, and scans only confirmed it - so First Aid nodded to him, "You're clear, Storm." And with that, the medic moved on to the next one. "Name?"

"Pyre of Tagan Heights. Though everyone calls me Tinker."

"Spark type?"

"Vitreous Neutral."

"Alt Mode?"

Tinker rubbed his forearm. "... Jetpack. I turn into a jetpack."

"And your primary function?"

"I'm a blacksmith."

First Aid's optics widened slightly, "Never met a blacksmith before..." He cleared his voice, stepping back.

A tad shorter than Storm, rather scrawny. There's thrusters in his elbows - probably his only useful weapon. He's got a backpack permanently attached to his back a pair of goggles hanging around his neck, and he's a light blue in color - save for his small shoulder pauldrons and forearm plating, which seemed to be a deep pink.

Again, no visible damage - good signs so far, so he moved to the next one. "Name?"

The mech crossed his arms, "Werren of Protohex."

"Spark type?"

"Vitreous Negative."

"Alt Mode?"

"Dual-rotor helicopter."

"Primary function?"

"Warrior."

First Aid looked the mech over - he was tall. Not Magnus tall, granted, but still tall. Impressively sturdy wings with a helicopter rotor on each. Two thrusters built into his back. Primarily gray color scheme with undertones of white.

A few battle scars, but they were old and not causing any problems - no need to fix them. First Aid gave him the OK, then moved to the next one - and it seemed the last three were femmes. "Name?"

"Teplex of Rodion."

"Spark type?"

"Estriol Negative."

"Alt Mode?"

"Motorcycle, submarine, and jet - all in one vehicle."

"Impressive. Primary function?"

"Same as Werren - warrior."

First Aid gave her a mini checkup. Average height again, slender and aerodynamic build, disc-like wheels acting as shoulder pauldrons and hips guards, and a reinforced windshield in her back. She looked to be primarily gold and a deep, crimson red.

The medic finished his inspection and moved to the next femme for questioning. "Name?"

"Supplera of Iacon."

"Spark Type?"

"Estriol Positive."

"Alt Mode?"

"Heavyduty military-grade energon transport."

"Primary function?"

"Support and warrior."

And once more, he looked over his patient. This one actually was Magnus tall, and she was just as bulky. There were treads in her legs and two treads in her back, with a fairly large and imposing Anti-Aircraft gun connected to her back between said treads. Large and bulky shoulders, thick windshield on her chest with dual blasters connected to either side of said windshield, and proportionally thicker legs. While she was mostly baby blue, there were traces of black on her frame in intricate patterns.

After giving her the okay, he moved to the last of the new arrivals. "Name?"

"Pickup of Nova Cronum."

"Spark Type?"

"Estriol Neutral."

"Alt Mode?"

She glanced to the side, "Car with attached vacuums."

"Primary function?"

"Cleanup, sir."

First Aid looked over the last of her potential patients. Fairly short with a narrow build. There was a car windshield in her chest, doorwings, and a vacuum gun next to each shoulder. Disc-like wheels on each shoulder and on the outside of each fairly sturdy leg. She seemed to be a complete navy blue, and free of any injury.

First Aid picked up his kit, turning to the leadership. "They're all fine. I'll be going." And with that, he did - in fact - leave.

Rodimus clapped his hands together, walking towards the six. "I'm Rodimus Prime, captain of the _Lost_ -"

"Sorry, don't mean to be rude, but did you just say _Prime_?" Tinker put on his goggles, inspecting the flame-colored captain closely. "I've never met a Prime before! ... Well, okay, that's not _true_ \- I saw Nova Prime before our departure, but he didn't actually _talk_ to me! He actually stood in front of me for the picture of our crew."

"Did you just say _Nova Prime personally sent you on your merry way_?"

"He did!" He removed the goggles. "I mean, we were the last of the ships to leave for colonizing, after all."

Rodimus turned to Megatron and Ultra Magnus, and the giant mech stepped forward. "I'm sorry, but... The last colonization ship left Cybertron a little over six million years ago."

"Six-?!" Supplera grabbed him by the shoulders, optics wide. "You're saying we've been gone for _six million years_...?!"

Megatron gently grabbed her arms, but his voice was stern as he spoke, "We need to know what happened to you."

"I... I don't..." The giant femme grabbed her head. "... Six million...?"

Teplex patted her shoulder, turning to Megatron. "Our ship - the _Dawnbreaker_ \- was attacked. I assume it was organics, but we can't be certain. Point is, they had this... Weapon. Blew up two of our engines in one shot. Our captain ordered us to the escape pods, but after that... I don't know." She rubbed her own head, frowning. "That's all I can remember. Before waking up here." She waved a hand around aimlessly, still pressing the other to her head.

"Geez..." Rodimus dragged a hand down his face, supporting his elbow with his free hand.

Werren had a look of deep concentration in his optics. "... We need to reconnect with our ship." He turned to Rodimus. "Can you take us to our last coordinates?"

Rodimus rubbed his chin, about to explain that they were on a quest-

"Unlikely." Ultra Magnus folded his arms. "We're on a quest for Cyberutopia - and we've had far too many delays as it is."

\- Until Magnus said _that_. Rodimus didn't even register Megatron's grimace as he grinned at the six newcomers, spreading his arms wide. "Nonsense! We'd be delighted to help out fellow Cybertronians reconnect with their old crew."

"Rodi -"

"Oh, thank you!" Tinker emphatically shook Rodimus's hand, beaming. When he finally registered his shocked expression, his own optics widened as he quickly released his hands. "O-Oh Primus! I'm so sorry, I didn't - I'm just a very touchy person, and -" He quickly held his hands over his spark.

The other five colonists were watching in silent horror - Storm had to force himself to look away as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Tinker stood there, waiting for Rodimus's response as his thoughts went rampant. 'Oh no oh no oh no I touched a _Prime_ , I'm just a jetpack I shouldn't be touching him oh no what if he turns me into a cube or _oh Primus what if they decide on empurata I CAN'T LOSE MY HANDS I CAN'T I_ -'

"Hey, it's fine." Rodimus patted his shoulder. "Just don't, y'know, startle me like that. 'Kay?"

The blacksmith blinked, glancing at his friends.

Storm looked relieved, as did the other four - Pickup almost looked like she was gonna pass out.

Tinker turned back to Rodimus. "I'm... _Not_ in trouble?"

"Why would you -?"

Megatron stepped forward as he spoke, "Cybertron has changed in the time you were gone. Functionalism as you know it is dead."

All their optics widened at that.

"You need to be caught up on current events." Rodimus gave them all a grin. "Lucky for you, I know the perfect mech. Follow me, if you please." He turned on his heel, and lead the merry band out of the lab.

* * *

 **Edit: I realized I added Velocity too early, so I replaced her with First Aid. Also, I almost forgot my outtro!**

 **So, remember to follow this story to be updated on new chapters, and please leave a review telling me your thoughts on it!**

 **Til All Are One,**

 **\- Alpha**


	2. Chapter 2

Rodimus knocked on the door to Rewind and Chromedome's room, then turned to the six. "So, I gotta confess something - I don't really call myself a Prime, so if you guys could just forget that part of my status, that'd be great.

"Well, I mean, it's _pretty difficult_ to forget meeting a Prime." Tinker rubbed his neck as he spoke. "I mean, we could pretend to not remem-"

"Tink, buddy," Storm rested a hand on his shoulder, "that's what he meant."

"Oh. ... Oh! Yeah, that makes sense." Tinker nodded to himself. "My bad. Yeah, totally, we'll forget about it."

Rodimus gave him a confused look before the door opened to reveal Chromedome. "Rodimus? What do you... Need...?" He gave the six an odd look. "Who are they?"

"Tinker, Storm, Werren, Teplex, Supplera, and Pickup. They've been... Out of the loop for the past six million years. Can Rewind catch them up to speed?"

"One sec." He turned, "Hey, Rewind, you hear all that?"

"I did." Rewind stepped out, looking up at them. "I could compile a compacted data transfer, teach them everything in about eleven seconds."

"Well that'd be great. Do you have the badges?"

"Domey, can you get them?"

"On it." Chromedome then disappeared into the room to grab whatever the badges were as Rewind fiddled with something on his forearm.

"And... Done! If you could all just sit on the ground so I can interface..."

The six newcomers complied with his request as Chromedome returned. "This badge belongs to the Autobots," he held up the red one, "and this belongs to the Decepticons." And he showed them the purple one.

"You're all Autobots, then?" Tinker pointed out, observing their own badges.

Megatron looked down at them, "We are."

The look Rodimus gave him went unnoticed as Rewind plugged a wire into each of their helms. "Starting info upload... Now." He pressed a button on his wrist, and the info poured into their processors, replaying everything right before their optics.

Megatron folded his arms, watching carefully. Once the eleven seconds ended and Rewind unplugged them, he waited for the looks of anger and accusations.

As they got to their feet, Tinker looked up at Megatron. "... You look a lot like the Decepticon leader."

'Here it comes...' "That's because I _am_ him. I disbanded the Decepticons."

"Woah."

... 'Woah? That's all?' Megatron frowned a little. "Aren't you going to get... Upset with me?"

"Why would I be upset?" Tinker knocked his head to the side.

"..." Megatron turned to Rodimus, "Is he serious?"

"I think he is..."

"I mean, I'm a _jetpack_ \- with hotspots going out of commission my blacksmith skills would be useless, and the Decepticon campaign would've directly applied to me. Plus, you took down functionalism!" Tinker held out his arms to Megatron. "You made it so Cybertronians don't have to define themselves by their alt modes!"

"Yeah!" Pickup looked up at Megatron in adoration.

Werren folded his arms. "And though you may have... Fallen from grace, you realized your mistake in the end and repented. If you were truly the evil warlord you appeared to be, you wouldn't be here right now."

Megatron was... Well, he was _surprised_. It's not every day someone defends you after hearing you nearly killed off half of the entire race.

"... Well!" Rodimus clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention, "As long as you're aboard the _Lost Light_ , you're free to do as you wish - so long as you don't cause any big problems. That said, feel free to explore! See what there is to see, integrate yourself into the crew if you want."

The six traded glances, then Supplera gave him a grin. "Will do, captain."

"Good. I'll be off doing captain things, then." Rodimus walked off.

The six turned to Megatron, and he stared back for an awkward moment. "... I should be going. Lectures to give." And with that, he turned and started walking.

... With tiny footsteps following.

He stopped, and his pursuer bumped into his legs with an 'Oomph'. He turned and looked down slowly.

As he did, Pickup looked up as she rubbed her head, "Why'd you stop?"

"Why are you following me?"

"To see what you're doing."

"For what reason?"

The tiny femme rested her hands on her hips, "I just told you."

"You don't even know what I'm teaching."

"The point is that I now have the _choice_ to do whatever I want, and I wanna learn."

"You're from Nova Cronum, one of Cybertron's most academic cities."

"But you forget that I was just the janitor - I wasn't allowed to participate in the classes, just clean up the messes they left behind."

Megatron sighed, pinching his nose, "I can't deter you. Can I?"

"Nope!"

"..." He looked down at her, "Very well. I can admire someone whose first act of freedom is to learn."

She smiled up at the ex-Decepticon, "Thanks!"

He merely turned around, and continued his brisk walk. She hurried to keep up before eventually huffing and transforming.

* * *

The other five colonists were walking through the hulls of the ship, earning glances from several other inhabitants of the crew. While most of the rooms they passed were mostly silent, an open door seemed to be letting out an obscene amount of noise.

Out of curiosity, Supplera peeked in... And grinned wide, looking over her shoulder at the others, "Guys, good news..." She stepped aside to let the other see, "We just found the _bar_!"

"Oh hell yes." Teplex muttered.

Werren pointed a finger at Supplera warningly, "You're still not allowed to drink anything too high grade."

"Aw, why not?!"

"Remember what happened with Volt?"

Supplera pouted, folding her arms, "It was an _accident_..."

" _You tossed him through a wall_."

"He got better!"

"After his legs were reattached."

" _Fine_. I won't take too many intoxicating drinks. Deal?"

"Fine."

"Great!" The giant femme lead the group in, rubbing her hands together.

Swerve grinned from behind the bar. "We-he-hell, looks like we got some new crewmates! I'm Swerve, owner of _Swerve's_! What are your names, if you don't mind a mech getting social?"

"I'm Supplera. The grump's Werren,"

"I'm not a grump."

"- the one with wheels is Teplex,"

"It's true, I'm the one with wheels."

"- the boat is Hurricane,"

"It's just _Storm_ , stop telling people it's some random type of storm."

She waved him off, "- and the guy with thrusters for elbows is Tinker the tinkering tinkerer."

Swerve grinned wide, "Is he friends with Tinkerbell? Or from Tinkerland?"

Supplera grinned back, pointing at him as she took a seat, "Oh, I like you. You're now on the top five list for favorite bartenders."

"You flatter me! Now - how's about I fix you up with some Engex?" He set it down in front of her.

"Don't mind if I do!" She took the glass, downed it in one gulp, and set the glass down. "Woo! Good stuff."

Werren and Teplex sat beside her, then Storm jabbed a finger over his shoulder, "We're gonna keep looking around."

"Aw, what? Not gonna socialize?" Teplex took the drink Swerve offered.

"No, not really." Tinker shrugged. "You know us, not really the meet and greet type."

Werren sipped his drink, "Do as you please. We'll meet up later."

The blacksmith smiled before speaking, "Well, we'll leave you to your drinks. See you later, guys."

The pair walked out, and the three reminisced about old stories over drinks.

* * *

After about ten minutes of silent walking, it was Tinker who broke the silence, "This is all so strange."

"?" Storm looked at him curiously.

"The ship. The time period. Functionalism not existing anymore."

"Oh, that. Yeah, it's... A lot to take in." Storm glanced over his shoulder, "Supplera was taking it rather well... Better than when we first emerged."

"She laughs to make herself appear better..." Tinker rubbed his neck, "She's probably dying on the inside... But who knows? Maybe it was just initial shock."

"Yeah..." Storm looked ahead - then squinted as someone left their room. "Wait... I think I know that mech...!"

"Huh?" Tinker looked up at the mech Storm was pointing to.

Rung was looking over one of his model ships, pursing his lips.

"Rung?"

The psychiatrist looked up at the call of his name, surprised.

"It _is_ you!" Storm grinned, running over.

"Storm? Is that you?"

"Yeah! Can't believe you're still up and kicking!"

"I could say the same to you - I thought your ship went missing a long time ago."

Tinker raised his hand, "Hey, uh, sorry to interrupt a moment, but... Who are you? And how d'you know each other?"

"Oh! Geez, introductions... This is my old psychiatrist, Rung. Rung, this is my friend Tinker."

"Ah, Storm mentioned you in our last few sessions." Rung offered his hand to Tinker.

The blacksmith took it, a light smile playing on his face, "Did he now?"

"Yes, he did." Rung smiled earnestly. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Right back at you!"

"Tink, do you mind if I catch up with Rung? I'll meet up with you when I'm done, promise."

"Sure thing!" Tinker smiled wider as he continued on with his walk, waving to them, "Have fun!"

Storm waved back, then followed Rung back into his room to talk.

* * *

Tinker was whistling to himself as he strolled down the halls, looking around absentmindedly. At one point he crossed an open room that at first glance appeared to have a great deal of recharge slabs...

... But as he took a second look, he found out it was the ship's medbay, and he could see First Aid organizing some data pads.

"Uh, hey! First Aid, right?"

The medic looked up, "That'd be me." He returned to his organizing, "Do you need any medical attention?"

"Oh, no, I'm just strolling around the ship." He glanced around the room, mildly amazed, "So much new tech..."

"Surprised what can be done in six million years?" The smile in First Aid's voice could practically be heard.

"Well, yeah! Like this wall of drawers." Tinker looked over the drawers, "What could you possibly have in them?"

The edges of First Aid's visor dropped lightly, "That's cold storage. We put patients in them when they can't be given proper medical treatment."

"Oh no... Is there anyone in there now...?"

"Just one." The medic patted one of the lower drawers, "Pipes of Helex. When we first found his body we'd thought he'd died, but - by some miracle - a portion of his spark remained. But enough of it slipped away that, if we performed surgery, he'd definitely go out of commision..."

Tinker pursed his lips. "... What spark type is he?"

"He was... Isometric Positive. Or Negative. I'm not sure which."

"Perfect." He opened a compartment in his waist, fishing around.

"What?"

"You know how sentio metalico develops into a protoform?"

"Yes...?"

Tinker grinned, pulling a snowflake-shaped piece of metal.

First Aid's visor went wide, "How did you...?!"

"The most common cause for body formation failure is a defect in the sentio metalico, a lack of proper resources, or even a combination of the two. As a blacksmith, it's my job to be ready." He closed the compartment, then opened another one in his thigh, "Isometric sparks use pure sentio metalico with an outer layer of similar metallic materials." He pulled out a few lumps of metal, held it in one hand with the sentio metalico, put on his goggles, and then swiveled his arm so the thruster took the place of his hand. "You might wanna adjust the brightness on your optics."

First Aid nodded, lowering the brightness setting. After getting the all clear, Tinker released a burst of flame over the materials.

After a moment, he swiveled his arm again and started to move around the mesh of materials in his hands, "Get ready to release his spark on my word."

"Got it." The medic opened the drawer containing Pipes, and got ready to open his chest.

Tinker started to spread it out, making a net with the materials, "And... Now! Release the spark!"

First Aid flung Pipes's chest open, and the spark flew out. Tinker put the net in the spark's way, and quickly bundled it up within it. "Now we need to get him to accept the protoform materials..." He moved it around in his hands some more, causing the surface to ripple and occasionally reveal a flash of light from the spark, "While I talk him into it, get out his processor."

First Aid gave him a look, clearly confused.

"I find it easier to convince a spark into surviving if you talk to them by name. And if he wants his memories, he'd need that processor. Now hurry! Before he accepts and makes a new one!"

"Right! On it!" The medic grabbed a scalpel, and started cutting open Pipes's head.

The blacksmith looked down at the protoform mix in his hands, speaking softly, "Hey there. Pipes of Helex, right? I'm Pyre of Tagan Heights. You ever been to Tagan Heights? I think the view's pretty stellar. Helex is pretty great, too - sometimes I'd go to the hotspots there to help oversee the development of the Cybertronians."

The spark flashed, seeming to grow a little brighter, the holes slowly closing.

Tinker smiled a little, "That's right, accept the protomix... How are we on his processor, First Aid?"

"Almost done... Just has to disconnect it from the spinal cord."

"No, leave it - a lot of the info on the body's design comes from the spinal cord. And with the processor being manually put in, his spark will think he's already got one."

"Right... Then just let me get this out..." First Aid carefully pulled out the processor and spinal cord, holding it gently, "When do I put it in?"

"Just before the holes seal up."

"Got it." First Aid held it just above the protoform mixture, watching the holes seal themselves.

"You're almost there, Pipes... Just another minute, and you'll be able to start making your body brand spanking new! Isn't that exciting?"

The spark flashed, and the holes closed with slightly greater speed.

"Now! Put them in now!"

First Aid slipped the spinal cord and processor into the mix just before the holes closed. Steam escaped the mix, and the surface smoothed out.

Tinker sighed in relief, rubbing his brow. "We're in the clear. Now we wait for his body to form."

First Aid went to take the sphere of protoform from him.

"Ah-a-a! Still burning hot." Tinker held him gingerly.

"Then... How are you-?"

"It's what makes me a blacksmith. My ability to withstand heat, a pulsewave that my spark radiates, and my hands."

"So... Kind of like a medic. How their hands can naturally take up surgery?"

"Exactly! A blacksmith's hands are perfectly smooth, which is highly necessary for keeping the sentio metalico in check."

"Okay... And you mentioned something about a pulsewave from your spark?"

Tinker nodded, "How to describe it... Essentially, it assures the spark - which is incapable of registering the world around it - that I'm here to help. That I'll give them form."

"Ah..." First Aid looked down at what would soon be Pipes, "So this will take about a day, right?"

"One to two, yes."

"Alright. I'm going to let Rodimus know." First Aid started to leave, then patted Tinker's shoulder, "You just saved a life today, Tinker. And I, for one, really appreciate it."

Tinker smiled back, "Hey, it's my pleasure."

"I'll see you around." First Aid left the medbay, leaving Tinker with the developing Pipes.

"Looks like it's just you and me, Pipes." The blacksmith took a seat on one of the recharge slabs, getting comfortable. "Why don't I tell a few stories to pass the time?" He paused, pretending to wait for a response, "Oh good! I know a few good ones."

* * *

 **And there you have it, the second chapter of this story! And my goodness, there's already been a surprising turn of events, and they haven't even been on the _Lost Light_ for a day now!**

 **Stay tuned for the next chapter of Dawnbreaker!**

 **Til All Are One,**

 **\- Alpha**


	3. Chapter 3

_"So h-live?"_

 _"-es. I put his s-rk in a new bo-."_

Pipes stirred in his mind. _'What was...?'_

A foot crushing him, the warning, his last message, names familiar and strange...

"OVERLORD!" Pipes shot up, falling off the slab, "The crew-! Overlord! He's-!"

"Woah, buddy!" Rodimus grabbed his shoulders, grinning, "Chill out!"

"But Overlord, he's-!"

"Dead. And so were you, for a while."

" _What?!_ "

"Rodimus!" First Aid smacked him upside the head, "Think about what you say!"

As the captain was rubbing his head, Tinker bent down and offered his hand, "Are you okay?"

Pipes squinted, removing his visor. "Your voice... Have we...?"

"Met? Yes. Technically. It's complicated." The jetpack helped him to his feet, "I'm Tinker. And I helped save your life."

"More like _I_ helped _you_." First Aid rubbed the back of his neck, "You did all the hard work."

"If you hadn't been there, I couldn't have caught his spark with the net in time. And I couldn't have gotten his processor and spinal cord transferred from old body to new metals as quickly." Tinker smiled genuinely. "You were a big help, First Aid, and I thank you for it."

"Time out, I'm confused." Pipes scratched his head, "So I almost died by stomping, you brought me back to life, and for some reason First Aid pulled out my spinal cord and processor...?"

"It's a lot to take in, I'm sure." Tinker patted his shoulder gently, "But the important fact is that you're alive and well. The new body helped stabilize your spark."

"New body?" He looked himself over, confused, "But I look exactly the same..."

"That's because this is how your spark remembered your body before the incident."

"Huh..." Pipes looked at Tinker again, "Thank you."

He smiled warmly, "You're welcome, Pipes."

The piped mech stretched out. "I could use a drink. Wanna join?"

"Uh, sure! My friends should be at _Swerve's_."

"Sweet!"

* * *

Teplex looked up as Tinker walked in with Pipes, "Yo, Tink! Over here!"

"Hey, guys...!" He walked over to the table they'd taken with a few other people and sat next to Storm.

Chromedome's visor widened in surprise, "Whoa, _Pipes_? You're alive...!"

"Yeah!" He sat himself down, resting his hand in one palm, "You've got Tinker to thank for that."

Storm looked startled, whispering to Tinker as they got caught up, "You said you'd stop...!"

"Storm, look, I didn't need to sacrifice anything, okay? His spark was stable enough." The jetpack gently touched his hand, "I'm fine. Promise."

"If you say so..."

Supplera downed a drink, then set it down. "So! Introductions need to be made. You're Pipes?"

"Yep!"

"Coolio. I'm Supplera. Tall, dark and broody is Werren."

He huffed.

"The boat next to Tinkerbell -" Tinker groaned at the new nickname "- is Monsoon."

"It's _Storm_. Just _Storm_."

"Shortstuff in the booster seat is Pickup."

"Sorry that not everyone can be a frickin' giant, Ms. I-hit-my-head-on-doorways."

"And the surprisingly single femme is Teplex."

"Surprisingly single and ready to unsurprisingly mingle."

"And who's everyyy..." He paused, stammering at one of the other people he didn't recognize.

"I'm Nautica!" She offered her hand.

He quickly shook it with both hands, "I-I'm Helex of Pipes. I mean Pipes of Helex!"

She giggled, and he all but faceplanted the table.

Skids sipped his own drink, "You've missed a lot of... _Surprising_ stuff, buddy."

"Ha! Unless you're about to say Megatron's an Autobot, you're not gonna surprise me."

The table descended into awkward silence.

Pipes laughed nervously, rubbing his arm, "Hahaha... Wh-Why aren't you guys laughing...?"

"Because Megatron is both an Autobot and co-captain of the ship."

"He's wHAT?!"

"That's what _I_ thought!" Tailgate folded his arms. "But nooo, we're just gonna forget everything he did..."

"Tailgate."

He turned to Cyclonus, "Getaway agrees with me, you know."

"He always agrees with you."

"Only when I'm right." The white and blue mech got up, "Anyways, I'm supposed to meet him next to the Oil Reservoir. See you guys later!" And with that, he transformed and rolled away.

"It's good to have you back, Pipes."

"Thanks, Rewind!"

The tiny mech nodded to him. "So! Domey and I are having movie night here after closing. Who all wants to join?"

Supplera looked at him curiously, "What's a movie night, and will there be snacks?"

"It's where I play some of the stuff I have stored in my archive, and yes."

"Then count us in!"

"Great!"

* * *

Supplera munched on some energon goodies, laying on the ground and kicking her legs in the air behind her. "So, what're we watchin'?"

Rewind got comfortable on his spot, setting up his projector, "Some of the greatest races in Cybertronian history."

"So we're gonna be watching my best friend Blurr winning all the ones he ran in, of course." Swerve grinned, handing out engex to everyone.

Tinker's optics sparkled as he took his engex, " _You're_ friends with a famous racer?"

"You bet your T-Cog I am!"

"But I don't wanna bet my T-Cog."

"Tink, buddy..." Storm rested a hand on his shoulder, "It's a joke. He's not serious."

"Ohhh. Okay, my bad."

Pipes lowered his mask, sipping his engex, "Where's Tailgate?"

"Hanging out with Getaway, no doubt." Chromedome wrapped an arm around Rewind's shoulder as the beginning of the race was projected onto the far wall. "They've been inseparable for ages now."

"Are they...?"

"Together?" Swerve shook his head, "Nah, but Gate's really not subtle about his infatuation towards Getaway."

"Oh." Pipes rubbed his neck. "That's cool. Cool cool cool."

Supplera sipped some engex through a twirly straw, watching the race unfold.

"You know, this race actually took place a year before you guys set off to reconnect with the lost colonies." Rewind snuggled into Chromedome, content. "Were any of you there for it?"

Teplex scratched her head, "... Yes! I was there - I was a bodyguard for one of the racers. I remember he had this friend. Former member of the Primal Vanguard. Introduced me to the concept of gender before the two of them raced. What was her name..."

"Spowan." Supplera muttered, watching one of the racers in particular.

Teplex snapped her fingers, "Yes! Spowan! That was the friend of my charge! ... How'd you know that, Sup?"

Supplera was silent, watching as the race finished. The racer she had been watching - a sleek creme and white femme with a cockpit on her back, wheels in her shoulders and knees, and a speed thruster in her chest - had finished in fourth place. She tackled someone from her pit crew in a hug, a mech that looked... Oddly familiar.

Tinker squinted, then after a moment his optics widened in realization as he turned to the giant femme beside him, "Supplera, is that _you_?"

"... Yeah. That's me."

"You were in a racer's pit crew?!"

"No. I just supported my sparkmate when I had time off-work."

Teplex looked surprised, "I... Didn't know you had a partner, Sup..."

"Yeah, well, I didn't talk much about myself. Just random stories I'd picked up or made with you guys."

"That's why you freaked out when we first woke up."

Supplera said nothing to confirm nor deny Werren's statement, and an awkward silence descended on the group.

"... I'm gonna go recharge." Supplera got up, stretching. "Don't wanna make you guys carry me to my room."

"Supplera..."

She ignored Teplex as she walked out of the closed bar, "Night, guys."

The motorcycle's face fell, "Why wouldn't she tell us...?"

Rewind shut off his projector as he spoke, "According to my archives, Spowan was on the tracks when an energon line exploded. They never found a body - she was presumably destroyed. The accident had happened a week after you guys left, but if Supplera was her Conjux the news would've been beamed directly to her processor."

Tinker looked down, "Poor thing..."

"... Well, this night took a wrong turn." Skids got up after he finished his glass of engex, "So I don't know about you guys, but I'm headed to bed."

"Yeah. That sounds good right about now." Tinker got up, then mentally paused. "... Where are we sleeping?"

"We're sharing a room." Storm put a hand on his arm, "So just follow me."

"Okay!" The pair walked out of the closed bar... And right into Rodimus. "Oh! Sorry, captain! Didn't mean to bump into you!"

"It's o-"

"But that should be obvious, right? nobody really means to bump into someone else! Well, unless you're rude, but I'm not rude! Oh Primus I'm rambling I shouldn't have drunk that engex someone should-"

Storm clamped a hand over Tinker's mouth, offering the co-captain an apologetic smile, "Sorry, he gets talkative when he's nervous. Or had something strong to drink."

Tinker nodded, his mouth still being covered.

"It's fine. I actually wanted to see you, Binker."

"It's _Tinker_. His name is _Tinker_."

"Ah! Geez, my bad - so many people on this ship, it can be hard memorizing everyone. Anyways -" he held something out to Tinker, "- tada!"

"Mrph?" Tinker took it, still not taking Storm's hand off his mouth.

"..." Storm gave Rodimus a sideways glance, "It's your face on a star."

"That is a Rodimus Star, a reward given when something worthwhile has been done!"

Tinker's optics lit up immediately as he clung the star to his chest, "Whuth deed I doo?"

"This is for bringing Pipes back from the living dead." Rodimus clapped him on the shoulder, "You did good."

The blacksmith beamed, fastening the star to his chest. "Thansh!"

"You're welcome, buddy." Rodimus walked off, whistling to himself.

Storm removed his hand when he was gone and Tinker threw his arms in the air, "WOO!"

The boat smiled as he started walking, wrapping an arm around Tinker's shoulders, "Nicely done."

"I got recognized! He rewarded me for something I did! I'm being appreciated! And look!" He showed off his reward, "It's _actually shiny_! I don't know if this is actual gold - it doesn't smell right - but I don't care! It's fantastic and I love it."

"Even if the thing is just his face?"

"Yes!"

Storm laughed, smiling a little wider, "Well I for one am glad that you're getting some recognition. Even if he didn't get your name right."

"Honestly I don't even care that he did."

"He should still learn it." Storm opened the door to their hab suite, walking into it, "So who should get the recharge slab next to the window?"

"You can take it."

"Thanks." The boat set himself down, stretched, then relaxed on the slab. "Night, Tink."

"Night, Storm." The jetpack set his star on a shelf next to it, staring at it with a smile as he laid down. "See you tomorrow."

"Seeya tomorrow." Storm yawned, closing his optics.

Eventually, Tinker closed his own optics, a wide smile still evident on his face.

* * *

 **And there you have Chapter 3! I hope you enjoyed, and please don't forget to leave a comment if you liked it!**

 **Til All Are One,**

 **\- Alpha**


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